CELPIP Reading Emails: Purpose, Relationships, and Evidence

Understand the task before choosing a strategy

There are four reading tasks: correspondence, applying a diagram, finding information in paragraphs, and following viewpoints. The first two use shorter practical texts; the later tasks place greater demands on vocabulary, passage length, and time management. A strategy that suits a personal email must be adjusted when the text becomes an informational essay or a discussion involving several speakers.

Allow eleven minutes for eleven questions when practising Part One. A social, community, or workplace email is followed by questions and a reply with blanks. Its informal or semi-formal language is conversational without necessarily containing much slang. Friendly wording does not remove the need to read precisely.

Three kinds of question require different levels of attention. General meaning concerns the central message or purpose of a whole paragraph or email. Specific information asks for a name, date, place, or fact. Inference requires a conclusion supported by several details, even when the conclusion is not stated directly. Recognizing which kind is being asked prevents a detail from being mistaken for the purpose of the whole letter.

Scores are a guide, not a fixed conversion

Aim for at least 31 correct answers as a practice benchmark for level 9, while recognizing that score bands depend on the test version's difficulty. For illustration, 33 correct answers on a harder paper might reach a higher band than the same result on an easier paper, where 35 or 36 could be needed. These numbers illustrate why a raw score is not a guaranteed level.

The reading test has 38 scored questions and may include additional unscored items. There is no deduction for a wrong answer, so answer every item: you cannot reliably identify which questions are unscored. Reading and listening results are calculated from answers and test difficulty rather than an examiner's judgement of each multiple-choice response.

Use Active Reading to understand the email

Begin with the greeting, opening, and signature. Establish who is writing, who will receive the email, and why it has been sent. Then ask what each paragraph contributes. One may explain a change of plan, another organize the event, and a third supply a personal update. Translating sentence after sentence without noticing these functions makes details harder to retrieve later.

Short notes are enough. Record the people and their relationships, then a few words for each paragraph. Shared childhood memories, for instance, suggest a long-standing relationship. The purpose is to build a useful route back to information, not copy the email or remember every fact after one reading. For a question about arrangements, begin with the arrangements paragraph and search elsewhere only if necessary.

Names need not be translated. An unfamiliar name can be treated as a single unit if its context identifies it as a person, organization, or place. Likewise, an unfamiliar word should not stop the first reading. Continue to the surrounding sentences, use the topic sentence and ending to establish the general meaning, and return to the difficulty when the question requires it. A long sentence can be divided into smaller parts so that its relationships become manageable.

Contextual guessing must stay within the text. A reference to leaving at the end of the month may connect to an event in the next sentence; it is not an invitation to invent a reason for leaving. Notice people, dates, places, and events together. Several place names can refer to different people or different stages of a journey, and a familiar place name alone does not identify the answer.

When a question asks for the central detail of a problem email, consider which fact makes the message necessary. Separate that trigger from incidental facts about a time, place, or person. In the leaking-ceiling email below, the unresolved leak and need for action explain the message; the writer’s work schedule helps arrange access but does not explain the complaint itself.

Match meanings and revise working assumptions

Questions often paraphrase the email. A synonym or a change in wording can express the same idea, while a repeated word can appear in an unsupported answer. Eliminate choices that have no evidence. If two remain, compare the whole claim with the relevant sentence rather than choosing the more familiar phrase.

A first impression of a relationship is provisional. Later details, or information in the question itself, may require it to change. Friendly small talk can help establish a relationship without answering the specific question being asked. The final choice should be the interpretation the text supports, not the one that best fits a story imagined during the first reading.

Small expressions also change what has or has not happened. I would hate to miss it can express a wish to attend a future event; it does not mean the writer has already missed it. I almost left my bag behind likewise does not mean the bag was actually left behind. Check the event’s time and the whole phrase before turning it into a fact.

Meaning comes from the links between details, not one familiar word.

Worked example: Arrangements for the Book Club Meeting

The meeting arrangements connect a change of venue, a travel risk, and a request for help. Keep those purposes separate from the family news. The reply tests both factual understanding and the tone appropriate to a friend.

The email

Dear Gary,

I am afraid we cannot have the November 12 meeting at my place after all. The contractors start on my kitchen cabinets on Monday, and they say there will be three weeks of dust and no working sink. It's a real shame, since I'd already planned the whole menu!

Instead, I've booked the ground-floor lounge in my building from 7 to 9 p.m. The superintendent charges $20 for the room, and the club fund will pay for it. The book is settled too. Winter Ferry won the vote, mostly because people wanted something quick after last season's giant, which took most of us two months to get through. I read the first few chapters on the plane out here, and the ferry in the story is the old one to Prince Edward Island that we used to take as kids, so I'm already hooked. The only thing still missing is someone to lead the discussion, and you did such a good job with the last one that I am hoping you will do it again.

I also need a favour. The lounge only has ten chairs, and with Doug and Marion back from their year in Ottawa there will be 14 of us, so could you bring the folding chairs from your garage? I'd pick them up myself, but I am flying back from my cousin Lily's place in Halifax that afternoon and my plane does not land until almost six. If my connection in Toronto is late, I won't make it in time to unlock the room, and the superintendent goes home at five. The spare key is with Irene Kowalski down the hall from me, and she's almost always in.

I'm actually writing this at Lily's kitchen table while the baby sleeps in the next room. He's three weeks old now and has a full head of black hair, just like his dad, and they have named him after our grandfather, which made my mother cry on the phone. This meeting is also our second anniversary. Two years already! The club fund is paying for a cake and coffee, so nobody needs to bake anything. Anyways, let me know about the chairs when you get a chance, and if you can't do it, I'll just ask one of the others.

See you on the 12th! Karen

Questions about the email

1. Karen mentions her flight because she

• A. will pick up the chairs on the way.
• B. wants to start the meeting later.
• C. might not be there to unlock the room.
• D. is bringing her cousin to the meeting.

Answer: C — might not be there to unlock the room.

If her connection is late, she won't get there in time to unlock the room.

Textual evidence:

I'd pick them up myself, but I am flying back from my cousin Lily's place in Halifax that afternoon and my plane does not land until almost six. If my connection in Toronto is late, I won't make it in time to unlock the room, and the superintendent goes home at five.

A: Karen says she would pick the chairs up herself, but her flight is the reason she can't. B: The room is still booked from 7 to 9 p.m.; she does not ask to change the time. D: Her cousin stays in Halifax with the new baby; nothing says she is coming.

2. The ground-floor lounge

• A. has been booked for 2 hours.
• B. costs each member $20.
• C. has enough chairs for 14 people.
• D. has its own small kitchen.

Answer: A — has been booked for 2 hours.

Karen booked it from 7 to 9 p.m.

Textual evidence:

Instead, I've booked the ground-floor lounge in my building from 7 to 9 p.m. The superintendent charges $20 for the room, and the club fund will pay for it.

B: The $20 is for the room, and the club fund is paying it. C: The lounge has only ten chairs for the 14 people coming. D: Karen says nothing about a kitchen in the lounge.

3. Why did Karen write this letter?

• A. to move the meeting and ask for help
• B. to ask Gary to host the next meeting
• C. to thank Gary for the last discussion
• D. to complain about her contractors

Answer: A — to move the meeting and ask for help

The meeting is moving to the lounge, and she needs Gary's chairs and a discussion leader.

Textual evidence:

I am afraid we cannot have the November 12 meeting at my place after all. The lounge only has ten chairs, and with Doug and Marion back from their year in Ottawa there will be 14 of us, so could you bring the folding chairs from your garage?

B: The meeting is in the lounge in Karen's building, not at Gary's. C: She praises the last discussion only to ask him to lead again. D: She mentions the kitchen work but does not complain about the contractors.

4. Doug and Marion

• A. are bringing some extra chairs.
• B. will lead the next discussion.
• C. live down the hall from Karen.
• D. have made the group bigger.

Answer: D — have made the group bigger.

With them back there will be 14 members, and the lounge has only ten chairs.

Textual evidence:

The lounge only has ten chairs, and with Doug and Marion back from their year in Ottawa there will be 14 of us, so could you bring the folding chairs from your garage?

A: Karen asks Gary, not Doug and Marion, to bring the folding chairs. B: Karen hopes Gary will lead the discussion. C: It is Irene Kowalski who lives down the hall and has the spare key.

5. What will Karen probably do if Gary can't bring the chairs?

• A. cancel the meeting altogether
• B. rent chairs from a store
• C. get another member to bring some
• D. bring chairs from her apartment

Answer: C — get another member to bring some

She says she will ask one of the others if Gary can't do it.

Textual evidence:

Anyways, let me know about the chairs when you get a chance, and if you can't do it, I'll just ask one of the others.

A: Nothing suggests she would cancel; she has an alternative. B: Karen never mentions renting chairs; she plans to ask another member. D: She will be away in Halifax until the afternoon of the meeting.

6. How is this letter best described?

• A. apologetic
• B. friendly
• C. impatient
• D. formal

Answer: B — friendly

Karen shares family news, asks her favours casually and ends warmly.

Textual evidence:

Anyways, let me know about the chairs when you get a chance, and if you can't do it, I'll just ask one of the others. I'm actually writing this at Lily's kitchen table while the baby sleeps in the next room.

A: She says she is afraid the plan has changed, but she spends little time apologizing and mostly shares news cheerfully. C: She tells Gary to answer when he gets a chance. D: The letter is chatty and full of personal news, not formal.

The reply

The blanks belong to one continuous response. The meaning before and after each blank must also fit the first email.

Dear Karen,

What a pain about your kitchen. I know you were [7] having us all at your place. The lounge will do just fine, though, and I'm [8] you liked the last discussion. I'll gladly lead this one too. I'm only on chapter three of Winter Ferry, but it's nice that the club picked [9] this time. We've been busy here. Emily's hockey team won the city final on Sunday, and she hasn't taken her medal off since! I have six folding chairs, and I'll bring them all. If you're held up in Toronto, I'll [10] and set the chairs out myself. Please give my [11] to Lily.

See you on the 12th, Gary

Blank 7

• A. tired of
• B. really looking forward to
• C. a bit nervous about
• D. not keen on

Answer: B — really looking forward to

Karen says it is a real shame because she had already planned the whole menu.

Textual evidence:

It's a real shame, since I'd already planned the whole menu!

A: She had planned the menu, so she was not tired of hosting. C: Nothing in her letter shows she was nervous about hosting. D: Planning the whole menu shows she wanted to host.

Blank 8

• A. not sure that
• B. annoyed that
• C. sorry to hear that
• D. flattered that

Answer: D — flattered that

Karen praised the job he did last time, and Gary is pleased by the compliment.

Textual evidence:

The only thing still missing is someone to lead the discussion, and you did such a good job with the last one that I am hoping you will do it again.

A: Karen says plainly that he did a good job, so there is nothing to be unsure about. B: Gary agrees to lead again, so he is not annoyed by her praise. C: Being praised is not something to be sorry about.

Blank 9

• A. something longer
• B. something much shorter
• C. a book by a local writer
• D. a more serious book

Answer: B — something much shorter

People wanted a quick read after last season's very long book.

Textual evidence:

Winter Ferry won the vote, mostly because people wanted something quick after last season's giant, which took most of us two months to get through.

A: The members wanted a quick read after a very long book. C: Nothing is said about who wrote Winter Ferry. D: Karen says nothing about how serious the book is.

Blank 10

• A. get the key from Irene
• B. pick you up at the airport
• C. ask the superintendent to open up
• D. wait for you in the lobby

Answer: A — get the key from Irene

The spare key is with Irene Kowalski down the hall from Karen.

Textual evidence:

The spare key is with Irene Kowalski down the hall from me, and she's almost always in. If my connection in Toronto is late, I won't make it in time to unlock the room, and the superintendent goes home at five.

B: Gary plans to set up the chairs himself, so he will not be at the airport. C: The superintendent goes home at five, before the meeting. D: Waiting in the lobby would not let him set the chairs out in the room.

Blank 11

• A. congratulations
• B. sympathy
• C. apologies
• D. thanks

Answer: A — congratulations

Karen's cousin Lily has just had a baby boy.

Textual evidence:

He's three weeks old now and has a full head of black hair, just like his dad, and they have named him after our grandfather, which made my mother cry on the phone.

B: The news about Lily's baby is happy, so sympathy does not fit. C: Gary has done nothing to apologize to Lily for. D: Lily has not done anything for Gary to thank her for.

Worked example: A Leaking Bedroom Ceiling

A repair request changes the relationship and purpose. Identify the practical problem, its effects, and the requested response before interpreting the details in the reply.

The email

Dear Ms. Harper,

I rent apartment 2C at Stonegate Court, and I'm writing about a leak in my bedroom ceiling that still has not been repaired.

The first drip appeared on September 8, during that heavy rain, and I phoned your office the same afternoon. I spoke to Kyle, who told me a work order would be opened right away. I phoned again the following Tuesday, and on Friday I sent a message through the tenant portal, but nobody from the company has been to the apartment. Meanwhile, things have only gotten worse. The stain now covers most of the ceiling, and the plaster above the window is starting to sag. I live on the top floor, so the water must be coming through the roof. My mattress and a wooden dresser were ruined before I could move them, along with four boxes of books. The room is unusable, and I've been sleeping on the living room couch for 2 weeks. My daughter is coming from Halifax next month and I had planned to give her the bedroom, so now I don't know where to put her.

My lease says that the owner will keep the apartment in a reasonable state of repair, and the provincial rules say the same about urgent repairs. A ceiling that has been holding water for 2 weeks is not an ordinary maintenance job. I'm also worried about mould, since the bedroom window was painted shut years ago and there is no fan in that room.

The roof and the ceiling need to be repaired as soon as possible. I would also like to talk to someone about compensation for the furniture and the books, and I have kept the photographs and the receipts for everything. I work the evening shift at Lakeview Hospital, so I'm usually home in the mornings and can let a crew in at short notice.

If I don't hear from your office by Friday, I'll contact the tenancy board and ask what my options are. I've lived here for 4 years and never had a reason to complain before.

Sincerely, Brenda Sutton

Questions about the email

1. Why did Brenda write this letter?

• A. to get an urgent repair done
• B. to end her lease early
• C. to complain about a staff member
• D. to find a room for her daughter

Answer: A — to get an urgent repair done

She writes because the leak in her bedroom ceiling still has not been repaired and wants it fixed as soon as possible.

Textual evidence:

I rent apartment 2C at Stonegate Court, and I'm writing about a leak in my bedroom ceiling that still has not been repaired. The roof and the ceiling need to be repaired as soon as possible.

B: She says she has lived there for 4 years and never asks to leave. C: She mentions speaking to Kyle, but she does not complain about him as a person. D: Her daughter's visit is one reason the repair matters, not the reason for the letter.

2. How many times did Brenda contact the office before writing this letter?

• A. one time
• B. two times
• C. three times
• D. four times

Answer: C — three times

She phoned on the first afternoon, phoned again the next Tuesday, and sent a portal message on Friday.

Textual evidence:

The first drip appeared on September 8, during that heavy rain, and I phoned your office the same afternoon. I phoned again the following Tuesday, and on Friday I sent a message through the tenant portal, but nobody from the company has been to the apartment.

A: She phoned that afternoon, but she also phoned again and used the portal. B: She phoned twice, but she also sent a message through the tenant portal. D: There were two calls and one portal message, which makes three.

3. The leak

• A. started during a snowstorm.
• B. was caused by a burst pipe.
• C. has ruined some furniture.
• D. was repaired once before.

Answer: C — has ruined some furniture.

Her mattress and a wooden dresser were ruined before she could move them.

Textual evidence:

My mattress and a wooden dresser were ruined before I could move them, along with four boxes of books. I live on the top floor, so the water must be coming through the roof.

A: The first drip appeared during a heavy rain. B: She says the water must be coming through the roof, not from a pipe. D: Nobody from the company has been to the apartment.

4. Brenda mentions her lease to

• A. prove she pays her rent on time.
• B. show how long she has lived there.
• C. explain why she wants to leave.
• D. show who must handle repairs.

Answer: D — show who must handle repairs.

Her lease says the owner will keep the apartment in a reasonable state of repair.

Textual evidence:

My lease says that the owner will keep the apartment in a reasonable state of repair, and the provincial rules say the same about urgent repairs.

A: The letter says nothing about paying rent on time. B: She mentions her 4 years in the building at the end of the letter, not when she refers to the lease. C: Brenda does not say she wants to move out.

5. What will Brenda probably do if the office does not reply?

• A. hire a roofer herself
• B. stop paying her rent
• C. go to the tenancy board
• D. stay with her daughter in Halifax

Answer: C — go to the tenancy board

She says she will contact the tenancy board if she does not hear from the office by Friday.

Textual evidence:

If I don't hear from your office by Friday, I'll contact the tenancy board and ask what my options are.

A: She does not say she will arrange the repair herself. B: Brenda never threatens to hold back her rent. D: Her daughter is coming to visit her; Brenda is not going to Halifax.

6. The letter mainly expresses

• A. fear.
• B. frustration.
• C. indifference.
• D. sadness.

Answer: B — frustration.

She has called and written several times, nothing has been done, and she says she will go to the tenancy board.

Textual evidence:

Meanwhile, things have only gotten worse. The stain now covers most of the ceiling, and the plaster above the window is starting to sag. A ceiling that has been holding water for 2 weeks is not an ordinary maintenance job.

A: Brenda is worried about mould, but that is one small part of the letter. C: Brenda clearly cares about the problem. D: She is upset about her daughter's visit, but the letter is mostly about the lack of action.

The reply

The blanks belong to one continuous response. The meaning before and after each blank must also fit the first email.

Dear Ms. Sutton,

Your letter came to my desk this morning, and I am [7] that your calls and message went nowhere. Kyle did open a work order, but it never reached our roofer. A crew from Hillside Roofing will be at the building on Thursday and will start with [8] .

I was on jury duty for most of September, and I am sorry that nobody picked up your file while I was away. Your request for compensation is [9] . Please bring the photographs and receipts to the office, and I will send them to our insurer myself.

As you are usually home [10] , the crew will come at 8:00 a.m. I will look into the window as well. I trust the work will be finished well before [11] , so you won't have to change your plans.

Sincerely, Ellen Harper Stonegate Property Management

Blank 7

• A. glad to hear
• B. truly sorry
• C. not at all surprised
• D. relieved to learn

Answer: B — truly sorry

Her calls led to nothing, so an apology is the right reaction.

Textual evidence:

I phoned again the following Tuesday, and on Friday I sent a message through the tenant portal, but nobody from the company has been to the apartment.

A: A manager would not be glad that a tenant's calls were ignored. C: This would admit the office is always careless; it does not fit an apologetic reply. D: Nothing about the ignored calls is good news.

Blank 8

• A. the pipes under your sink
• B. the unit above yours
• C. the roof over your bedroom
• D. the drain in the courtyard

Answer: C — the roof over your bedroom

Brenda lives on the top floor, so the water must be coming through the roof.

Textual evidence:

I live on the top floor, so the water must be coming through the roof.

A: The leak is in the bedroom ceiling, not the kitchen. B: Brenda lives on the top floor, so there is no unit above her. D: Nothing in the letter points to the courtyard.

Blank 9

• A. out of the question
• B. too late now
• C. a matter for your own insurance
• D. entirely fair

Answer: D — entirely fair

Brenda kept photos and receipts, and the manager goes on to handle the claim.

Textual evidence:

I would also like to talk to someone about compensation for the furniture and the books, and I have kept the photographs and the receipts for everything.

A: This contradicts the next sentence, where the manager offers to send her documents to the insurer. B: Nothing suggests a deadline has passed, and the manager goes on to handle the claim. C: The manager says she will send the papers to the company's insurer herself.

Blank 10

• A. in the evenings
• B. late in the afternoon
• C. on weekends only
• D. before noon

Answer: D — before noon

Brenda is usually home in the mornings, so an 8:00 a.m. visit suits her.

Textual evidence:

I work the evening shift at Lakeview Hospital, so I'm usually home in the mornings and can let a crew in at short notice.

A: Brenda works the evening shift. B: This does not fit Brenda's letter or the 8:00 a.m. visit. C: Brenda does not mention weekends.

Blank 11

• A. your daughter's visit
• B. the provincial inspection
• C. the tenancy board hearing
• D. your move to Halifax

Answer: A — your daughter's visit

Brenda's daughter is coming next month and was meant to sleep in the bedroom, so finishing before then saves her plans.

Textual evidence:

My daughter is coming from Halifax next month and I had planned to give her the bedroom, so now I don't know where to put her.

B: Brenda mentions provincial rules, but no inspection is planned. C: Brenda only says she may contact the board; no hearing has been set. D: Brenda is not moving; her daughter is coming from Halifax.

Auxiliary verbs make time and meaning visible

Helping verbs support questions, negatives, tense, passive forms, and emphasis. In Does Sam write all his own reports?, does forms the question. In The secretaries haven't written all their letters yet, haven't indicates that the work is unfinished. In Terry is writing an email to a client at the moment, is supports the action in progress.

The same word can have different roles. Jerry has a large coffee stain on his shirt uses has as the main verb. Jerry has bought a new shirt to replace the one that was ruined earlier uses has with the past participle bought. Jerry should have been more careful looks back at what he ought to have done.

The forms of do include do, does, did, and done; does agrees with he, she, and it. Forms of be include be, been, am, are, is, was, and were, with negatives such as wasn't, aren't, and weren't. Both the subject and the time reference matter.

Compare Jerry is messy, where messy is an adjective, with Although he is always complaining about his accidents, Jerry fails to pay attention, where is helps complaining. In Jerry is going to be doing extra laundry for the rest of his life, the connecting verb forms are necessary: going doing alone does not form the intended structure.

Time matters in reading as well as grammar exercises. An answer about an earlier situation can be wrong when the question asks about the present. Words such as now, yesterday, last night, and yet help connect the question to the relevant moment.

Alongside do, be, and have, modal verbs add meanings such as ability (can), possibility (might), advice (should), and obligation (must or have to). Identify both the grammatical role and the meaning a helper contributes; it is not enough to notice that a small verb stands before the main action.

Ten sentence-level examples

Use the subject, verb form, time reference, and any contrast in meaning to determine the correct auxiliary.

1. What were the kids doing?

What were the kids doing when you last saw them? The words last saw establish past time, and the kids is plural, so were fits. Did cannot precede the existing doing in this construction; was does not agree with the plural subject, and been cannot stand there alone.

2. Carla has always wanted to try skydiving.

Carla has always wanted to try skydiving. The answer has forms the present perfect with wanted. The sentence describes a wish continuing up to the present, rather than an action taking place at that exact moment.

3. Where did you go?

Where did you go on your summer vacation? The past question requires did. Does does not agree with you, and Where are you go? is not the required structure. A question about a current action would instead be Where are you going?

4. Why did she not call?

Why do you think she didn’t call you like she said she would? The expected call did not happen after an earlier promise. Didn’t expresses that past negative and connects with she said she would.

5. Mary is going to be upset.

Mary is going to be upset when she hears what happened. Is completes is going to be. That structure already expresses the future, so will does not belong in the same blank. Did not also fails to fit the phrase.

6. Jeremy does not want to go.

Jeremy doesn’t want to go to the movies. He wants to stay home instead. The second sentence establishes the negative meaning required in the first. Doesn’t agrees with Jeremy and describes what he wants in the present.

7. I did not appreciate his jokes.

I didn’t appreciate his jokes. They weren’t funny. The second sentence establishes both a negative judgement and past time. Didn’t fits those clues; haven’t does not fit the intended past statement.

8. I do not care for meat.

I really like fish, but I don’t care for meat. But introduces the contrast between liking fish and not liking meat. Don’t fits the present meaning. Weren’t changes the time, while been cannot stand alone in the blank.

9. Where were you going?

Where were you going when I saw you last night? Were combines with going and matches the past reference when I saw you last night. The time expression supplies the reason for the form.

10. Tara has not called yet.

Tara hasn’t called yet. She’s late as usual. Hasn’t expresses an action that remains uncompleted up to the present; yet supports that reading. Are and were do not form the intended expression before called.

Build vocabulary through listening, listing, recording, and reviewing

The L-L-R-R routine links a word's written form, pronunciation, and meaning. First, look up an unfamiliar word, listen to its pronunciation, and mark the stress. Knowing a definition is not the same as recognizing the word when it is spoken.

Next, add it to a vocabulary list. Write the entries by hand to make the act of writing part of remembering the words. After checking the pronunciation and learning to say the word accurately, record yourself saying it three times. Record the English words without adding their Chinese translations. Review that recording later and test whether the English sound brings the meaning to mind. The list and the recording serve the same goal from different directions.

Intensive reading follows an unaided attempt. Mark unfamiliar words and sentences, check the answers, and identify why an error occurred. Then use a dictionary or translation where necessary to resolve those difficulties and understand the whole passage. Attempt the questions again after that work. Improvement should come from clearer comprehension, not merely remembering answer letters.

After resolving the vocabulary and meaning, read the complete passage aloud and record it. Check uncertain pronunciations first. This adds practice saying connected English, rather than stopping at isolated vocabulary.

When a timed section is finished early, use its remaining minute or two to check details and reconsider unsupported choices. Advancing to the next section does not transfer that unused time. Accuracy benefits from using the time already available.